An I.S. machine is made up of a number (8,10,12, . . .) of identical sections each of which receives a gob of molten glass and forms the gob into a bottle. The bottle is formed in a two step process. The gob is received by a blank mold at a blank station and is formed into a parison. The parison is transferred by an invert/neck ring mechanism to the blow molds at a blow station and is blown into a bottle. Operating air is supplied to each section to operate section mechanisms. "High pressure" and "low pressure" air may be required and where the two step process is the "press and blow" process, a plunger will be advanced into the gob within the blank mold to form the parison with "plunger up air". Bottle making air will also be required. Where the two step process is the "blow and blow" process "settle blow" air is required to settle the molten glass around the plunger. Additionally "final blow", "finish cooling", and "counter blow" air may be required. In addition, air may be required for associated section mechanisms such as the pushout (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,372 which uses pressurized air at the pockets ("pocket air"). These pneumatic services are channeled from a main supply into a plurality of manifolds that are located on or about the machine. Each manifold requires a pressure regulating device so that the pressure may be controlled as required for each function.
In state of the art machines, each pressure regulating device is a part of the individual pneumatic service and is located to be convenient to that pneumatic service. As a result the regulating devices are scattered about the machine and each is individually settable by the operator.